So, Yahoo buys (my beloved) Flickr (and Ludicorp) and out come the naysayers. The doomsdayers. The boohooplayers. The yahooslayers.

And I was one of them for about 15 minutes. Or, okay maybe 20. It's true. I have no idea why I reacted that way... I do love Flickr. I do treasure that little community I find so charming. I do depend (yes depend) on the onslaught of amazing images I get to feast my eyes on every day. I do love to waste time -- er, professionally procrastinate -- with sayings such as "Okay, just five more minutes," or "Just one more thread to catch up on," or the ever sure, "but I have to check my group pools to see if any photos need removing." (When all else fails, fall back on the duty of Administration).

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I've been thinking about business a lot lately. And ethics. And the social dynamics of working productively within a professional community -- your workspace. I've been reading a book that addresses "work abuse," however small or large it may be. It happens. It does happen. And what is funny is that saying that you were "emotionally abused" or "verbally abused" is a non-uncommon thing in the American sphere of confessions and admissions.

But who ever confesses that they were in an emotionally abusive work situation? Nobody. And you know why (ha) because so many people are in an abusive work situation that we (collective we) are behaving in a state of group denial.

Nobody (okay, hardly anybody) stands up to call a spade a spade. Backstabbing, polliticking, plotting, scapegoating, lying, withholding, blaming... these are all commonplace things. So common, in fact, that I bet you either think "that doesn't happen" or you think "well, duh, it happens, hello, it's business." Both statements are the flip sides of the same denial coin.

This isn't me being bitter. This isn't me being anti-business. This is me just kind of facing facts. Employees in the private sector have no rights, no voice, no power and no backbone. I have no idea how any of this is going to change. I wonder if it ever will.

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More thoughs from the up and up (insert tone of sarcasm).

While I know every blogger and their grandmother is having a soapbox derby day about the Terry Schaivo controversy, I want to weigh in on a couple things.

What is going on is a really difficult situation with very difficult decisions. We don't know the whole story. Maybe nobody knows the whole story as it sounds as if even the heart attack that put Schaivo into her comatose state is controversial. I feel thankful that I don't have to make those decisions (knocking very very loudly on wood). That said, the way our congress is acting and reacting is making me more than a little queasy and sourfaced.

It breaks my heart to see our country's leadership act like such circus ponies all in the name of getting re-elected and / or pleasing their animal trainers (aka special interest groups). Both sides, please shut up. Or, at least show some semblance of honesty in your agendas (yes I know... wishful thinking again.). It's a tragedy what has happened, and this plays out for families across the country, having to make the tough decisions that nobody should ever have to make.

And it also frustrates me that cases such as Schiavo's or the godforsaken steriod-junkied baseball players get this type of congressional attention when there is still no adequate investiagion into the outting of Valerie Plame or the realities of what really happened at Abu Ghraib.

Our country has gone insane. Insane I tell you.

But the insanity truly revolves around the lack of honesty. Reagan and his -ites loved to talk about Trickle Down Economics, but do you know what has been the most successful? Trickle Down Ethic-omics.

People, all people I think, act as if their little transgressions don't really hurt anyone. Isolated incidents. But really... I'm not so sure. And while I know we can't be perfect and while I know I'd be the first to brace against some kind of moral code of DoGooderWonderland... I also know that these little transgressions spread in the air like a sneeze on a train... very lightly coating those around you. And all it does is take one little virus to make a whole host of people sick. That is what I feel like has happened with the lying in America. We have become such a nation of liars -- from politicians to clergy to advertisers to big business to anyone who ever has to cover their ass -- that there is no integrity anymore. None. You can't believe what any group says to you.

So how to rebuild? (And now I'm really just talking to myself on my own soapbox, aren't I?).

Small. With yourself and those around you. Be good. Please, be truthful. Find some courage. And stay true to yourself. So we can have faith in those around us.